About

STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL is the inspiring story of a championship ballroom dancer who defies all the rules to follow his heart.

This brand new musical production is now playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre Melbourne and has audiences dancing in the aisles in a kaleidoscope of colour and fun.

This uplifting and courageous tale originated as a stage play that Baz Luhrmann devised with a group of other students at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 1984, before dancing into the hearts of audiences worldwide as the award winning feature film.Following the first performances of this student work, Baz Luhrmann was invited to re-stage the play for the Czechoslovakian World Youth Drama Festival in Bratislava in 1986 where it won best production and Luhrmann best director. Then, after a preview season at the Brisbane Expo in 1988, the play opened at the Wharf Studios in Sydney. Strictly Ballroom went on to become one of the most successful Australian films of all time, earning more than $80 million at the box office. Discovered at the Cannes Film Festival, it was winner of the Prix de Jeunnesse and runner up for the Palme D’Or.

When released in Australia, Strictly Ballroom swept the field at the 1992 Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards®, gaining 13 nominations and winning in eight major categories. It was also a major success at the 1993 BAFTA® awards, where it garnered eight nominations and won three awards for Best Costume Design, Best Original Film Score and Best Production Design. Other accolades included a 1994 Golden Globe® nomination for Best Picture, Newcomer of the Year at the 1993 London Critics Circle Film Awards, the People’s Choice at the 1992 Toronto International Film Festival and Most Popular Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival. With the success of the film, its closing song, a remake of the John Paul Young song Love is in the Air, re-entered the Australian charts and became a Top 5 hit in October 1992.

“From a small student play to my first motion picture and now a full-blown theatrical stage musical, Strictly Ballroom has been an almost thirty year journey for me. I have often marvelled at how this story, born so long ago, has been in my life for so many years and has managed to touch, move, entertain and uplift so many different people from so many different backgrounds. I think the simple truth is that, despite all the sequins, outrageous hairdos and classic Hollywood musical plotting, the simple message that there isn’t only one way to cha cha cha, and that within us all we have the true potential to dance through life with our own steps is something that appeals to all of us. The message that life doesn’t have to be strictly ballroom is something I hope to have our audiences carry with them as they dance down the aisles.” – Baz Luhrmann, Director

Come and join in the fun and experience all the glitz, glamour and laughs that will be sure to put a smile on your face.